China seeks to forge East Asian economic community

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the dialogue partnership between China and ASEAN. Vice Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin reviewed the cooperation between China and ASEAN in the past 25 years, and said China is prepared to promote the construction and materialization of the East Asian economic community by 2020.

“The cooperation between China and ASEAN has a long history. In Southeast Asia, you can see similar cultures and ways of life. Southeast Asia and China all belong to the area of ‘chopsticks culture’; we have so much in common. Both sides are building a community of common destiny. We should march forward together in the political, economic and cultural fields,” he said.